For the invention described in publication WO2009/140018 (the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference), where a multiplicity of microencapsulated compounds are affixed to the internal walls of a liquid container for latent release upon contact with a fluid, there exists a desire for a means of effectively and conveniently agitating the contents of said container, both during and after the latent release of the compound therein. As the intent of the referenced invention (publication WO2009/140018) is to provide a convenient method of providing an “instant” beverage or liquid preparation, it would therefore be inconvenient if final preparation would require a mechanical intervention such as stirring with an implement to prevent settling or stratification of the liquid contents prior to consumption. As stated in WO2009/140018, one particular embodiment provides:
“a method of “instant” preparation of a variety of beverage components in which the primary constituents of a beverage are encapsulated in a delivery system of the invention; when water or other appropriate liquid is introduced into the system, the fluid dissolves the microcapsules, releasing the constituent components into the solvent and creating a new beverage instantly.”
Although the aforementioned embodiment is sufficient for many applications, it must be recognized that its basic embodiment does not further address the desire for “stirring” in the event that the latent released compounds comprising the entirety of the beverage or liquid preparation may be subject to separation, stratification or simply require distribution throughout the liquid medium in order to provide a satisfactory, well-combined result.
In addition, it has been observed that agitation of the liquid medium reduces the time required to reconstitute the beverage or liquid preparation significantly. This acceleration is primarily attributed to “shearing” forces created against the microcapsule clusters, both affixed and free floating, when the liquid is in some way circulated. The resultant disturbance in the liquid causes the microcapsule clusters to break down and separate from the container wall thus freeing the subsequently discreet microcapsules to be dissolved much faster and evenly distributed in the liquid medium. Therefore, the above-referenced invention (publication WO2009/140018) would be dramatically improved in several ways if the contents of the container could be conveniently agitated by a method other than mechanical intervention that could be simultaneously or independently incorporated into the container itself utilizing the same printing methods indicated in publication WO2009/140018.